Many days had passed since the wraith had left the mountain, her paws carrying her instinctively south so to avoid the freezing conditions that the frozen lands of the north could throw at a lone wolf like her. Her pelt was blessed with silver, rippling in the gentle breeze as Tirak nosed her way through the undergrowth to emerge amidst a blanket of wild flowers.
Birdsong filled her ears as she slid into s slow trot, her lengthy figure padding onwards in a fluid gate as she neared a rim of trees, her body relishing beneath their creaking boughs as she escaped the heat of the day. Perhaps she could make her home here within the copse; the place certainly felt secure, though she had no insight as to what unknowns lay beyond this closed paradise. Settling herself down beneath the branches of a grand oak, her lime green pools drifted over the new soil, an uncertain glimmer glazing their surface slightly as she did so.
She sincerely hoped the spirits had accompanied her here.
The famine had really hindered her from keeping her hunting skills in top form. Now that prey—large and small—had become bountiful once more, Wildfire hoped to truly master small game hunting in particular. This venture led her outside of the territory today, the August sun warm on her red back as she trotted due east toward Kildeer Rest. She wasn't particularly adept at felling feathered prey, yet she knew the rest was a veritable sanctuary for rodents and the like too.
What she found instead was a wolf. The Bandrona slowed, amber eyes narrowing curiously as she studied the stranger. She was compactly built, with pale silver fur and startlingly lime green eyes. Wildfire's nostrils flared as she tried to scent her, yet the wind was not working in her favor. She snorted lightly, then began moving more rapidly again. She approached the unfamiliar she-wolf, black tail held straight out behind her and ears upright, her demeanor assertive but not dominant as she closed the space between them.
She stopped perhaps ten feet away and said simply, "Hello."
The copse was interesting enough with its twisting boughs and shadowed undergrowth, yet Tirak was mostly intrigued by the clearing that lay before the treeline. Boulders dotted the dry grasses and the silvery wraith pricked her ears, radar alert as the searched for even the tiniest of rustles. Prey was a must if she was to settle herself within these trees; the lifesource that would sustain her existence. If there was none, then she'd have to journey once again in search of a new haven or, at the very least, venture far in search of a suitable meal.
By the many multitude of enticing scents that crisscrossed the ground, small mammals thrived within this grassland yet the sound she heard was not that made by a rodent, rather a canid like herself. Her cranium twisted round to face the russet stranger, her gaze reserved and cautious as she observed the other. She was small in stature, taking on a more fox-like appearance with the black hairs that tipped her tail and paws. Rising to her paws, she raised her tail, morphing her once relaxed frame into a more confident stature as she took a step towards the she-wolf. "What are you doing here?" she voiced, her tone not challenging but merely questioning as she drew in a long breath, her ligaments tensing as the females scent hit her glands. If she was merely a wanderer then Tirak would let her roam unscathed. After all, she had not staked a claim upon these soils as of yet
The stranger's opening line took Wildfire by surprise. Her lips pursed, brow furrowing ever so slightly. She considered a moment, then replied honestly, "Looking for small game." Another wolf might have been tempted to throw the question back as bluntly as it had been delivered, yet the young diplomat resisted the urge. It really wasn't her style. "How about you?" she asked in the next breath, noting the other's confident stature and wondering at it a bit. She'd reacted a bit like Wildfire had overstepped her bounds, but this was no man's land and the Bandrona knew it.
Her amber eyes blinked slowly as a suspicion began to dawn on her. Was this she-wolf acting territorial because she hoped to stake some sort of claim here? Wildfire did not press yet, though she suddenly knew it was critical to suss out the details. Thuringwethil would definitely want to know about it if a stranger was setting up shop on her doorstep. And as the lead ambassador, it was likely Wildfire's duty to inform the she-wolf of the folly of such an attempt, to encourage her to look elsewhere for a territory.
To her surprise, the vixen seemed to take a disliking to her words, lowering her expression in what seemed to be annoyance. Tirak returned the gesture with a guarded flick of her tail, her ears beginning to tilt backwards to brush against the silvery hairs of her skull. Yet her features relaxed slightly as the russet canid replied to her question in an honest tone. "Observing the area," she voiced, not wanting to elaborate to a wolf she barely knew of.
Though the fact that this she-wolf was also searching for small prey made her tilt her head curiously. Was it possible that this wanderer knew about bone-reading? The spirits? With a dismissive flick of her tassel, she spoke only a fraction of her thoughts. "For food or for something else?"
The silver wraith was not one to gather a pack to this glade for it could cause for a distraction if she was to continue her studies. Yet she'd certainly need a range big enough to support her with small mammals so she could develop her skills and perhaps discover new things along the way. Nevertheless, she'd never come across a rival pack before; didn't know if they would help her or simply view her as the enemy. With a confident sweep of her tail, she set the thought aside and focused on the stranger before her.
"...something else?" Wildfire echoed a bit dumbly, not sure what the stranger could mean by that. What other purpose could small game serve aside from food? Perhaps their pelts could be used for bedding—something she had considered while tending to the pups at the den—but she couldn't help but wonder if the still nameless she-wolf had other purposes for the earth's smaller creatures.
Realizing they had yet to exchange introductions, the yearling said, "I'm Wildfire, by the way, from Sleeping Dragon." As she said her pack's name, she glanced toward the volcano due southwest of their current position. Whether or not the stranger had any intentions of laying claim nearby, she could no longer say she was uninformed about the local residents.
A flicker of disappointment passed through the gaze of the wraith as the russet canid parted her maw to reply. Part of her yearned for this unknown wolf to have knowledge of bones, to have a connection with the mountain spirits yet it was a harsh reality to come to terms with. She pricked her auds as the other went on to speak more words, holding her tongue as she introduced herself as Wildfire. Sleeping Dragon was most likely the region she came from, perhaps her pack, yet the details were not what Tirak had in mind to prioritise for the moment.
"I'm Tirak," she voiced eventually, sliding her rump to the ground as her gaze still regarded the yearling with a prideful tone. "I study the bones of the little creatures," she added, veiling her uncertainty with a swish of her tail. Yet maybe there was still hope of the russet wolf knowing something but she decided not to press the matter, still keeping her statements vague as she exchanged her words.
The Bandrona said nothing for a beat, turning this information over in her head before speaking. She could think of no particular reason to do such a thing, yet she was intrigued. It sort of called to her background as both a naturalist and a hunter. She remembered collecting bones as a youngster, along with myriad other odds and ends that she stuffed into her treasure trove near the rendezvous site. Wildfire's lips twitched as she wondered whether anyone else—perhaps one of her little brothers—used that old badger den now. And what had ever become of Raven's garden?
Putting these thoughts aside, she asked, "Study them? How do you mean?" She was definitely curious to hear more, though she wondered if Tirak would indulge her. The woman seemed quite aloof and a little proud, which was not a good combination for sharing knowledge. Then again, maybe she was so into her craft that she wouldn't mind explaining it to Wildfire.
From a very young age, Tirak had been brought up within the midst of the spiritual world, having been taught how to bend the land and it's living gifts to her own will since her puphood. Numerous months had passed where she and her brother had been taught the art of bone-reading, to immerse various fragments beneath a flowing body of water and how to interpret the patterns the liquid left upon its the ivory surface once dried. It was a rather complicated process yet the silver wraith had only left her natal pack after being able to master the skill well enough.
The vixen queried her statement, earning a glance of annoyance from her lime green pools. Yet perhaps her puzzled curiousness was a sign of possible potential. It wouldn't hurt to offer the russet canid an insight into her craft, after all; she had sought out new soil to advance her skills, maybe others could help. "It'd be easier to show you rather than to tell," she spoke in monotone, her lips quirking up with the faint traces of a smile. With ears pricked and alert, she rose to her paws and started towards the clearing, flicking her tail for Wildfire to do the same should she so wish to join her. It felt strange to be in the company of another being after so many days of being alone; her independent streak often pulled her back from moments of contact yet the spirits came first. The more wolves she had to aid her, the more chance she had of discovering their existence here in these new lands.
Her question was met with an annoyed glance, which was expected but still off-putting. Wildfire bit her tongue, nearly regretting asking the question. But then Tirak surprised her by relenting, implying she would need to show the Bandrona rather than tell her. She couldn't help it; her eyebrows raised in surprise at the apparent change of heart. Or maybe Tirak had meant to answer as such from the start, she just had resting bitch face or something.
Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt—and playing on authentic curiosity—Wildfire replied,
"I mean, if you're willing to show me, I'm very curious." Her words betrayed her slight hesitation and self-consciousness, though hopefully her genuineness came through clearly as well. She said nothing more, falling silent even as she fell into step behind the silver she-wolf, who spent the afternoon showing Wildfire a whole new branch of her specialty.
8/25: Concluding since Tirak's been removed.